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| Unknown Soldier: Danjuma's role in the raiding of Fela's Kalakuta Republic: How it was planned and executed |
You can go through this. It is there. One Friday in 1977, I cannot recall the exact month and date, the top echelon: namely Gen. Obasanjo, Brigadier Yar'Adua, Lt Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, Vice Admiral Adelanwa - Chief of Naval Staff, AVM Yisa Doko, Chief of Air Staff, M.D Yusuf, Inspector General of Police, Brigadier A. Mohammad DG, NSO, Brigadier Joe Garba, Hon Minster of External Affairs, were holding security council meeting. A report was made that Fela Anikulapo Kuti assaulted a military police on traffic duty. All the aides to these dignitaries were also around. Danjuma came down with eyes red and shouted at us and I quote: "Go get me that stupid Fela, dead or alive!" He went back to their meeting.
His orders were clear but directed at actually none in particular. We all looked at each other in stony silence. I made the first move by volunteering to go. The ADC to commander-in-chief stated that I should not go because I could easily be recognized. So the ADC to Brigadier Garba who also was his younger brother, Lt.Sunday Garba, was directed to take his platoon from Brigade of Guards, Defence Company to go and get Fela. Sunday narrated to us what happened when he came back. He told us that on getting to Fela's house it was locked and electrified. He shouted for Fela to come out but was ignored.
They got NEPA to switch off the light but Fela switched on his generator. When they eventually gained access into the place, they entered Fela's house, they ransacked the place and beat up everybody, including Fela's old mother who was thrown out of the window. They were all arrested. We congratulated him for successfully accomplishing his mission.
Some days later, there was a public uproar and people were disgusted with the way Fela, his mother, younger brother Beko and his troupe were brutalized and his house vandalized. They asked for a judicial commission of inquiry. Rather, a two-man administrative commission of inquiry was set up with clear mandate to pass the verdict of UNKNOWN SOLIDIER and Fela's property was confiscated. He was to be compensated, though it was believed that he would never agree to that.
While Fela was accusing Obasanjo and Yar'Adua for perpetuating this dastardly act, the real brain behind it was none other than T.Y. Danjuma. Fela was lucky. Had Danjuma's murderous orders been carried to the letter, Fela would have died before he did. Surprisingly, Danjuma, even as COS , was frequently visiting Fela's shrine. What in the world was the big deal about Fela calling his shrine "Kalakuta Republic"? He was ordered never to mention Kalakuta Republic.
I have gone through (the document). But there are still some unanswered questions.
Like which one?
You said you set up a panel. It was obvious the panel was teleguided. You said it point blank there. Why didn't you allow the panelists to do their job? Must you direct them on what to do?
Yes we teleguided the panel.
Why would you do that?
We did the wrong thing. So, we wanted to cover up. What was done to Fela was wrong. But we were in power. And when you are in power, you become powerful. Did you hear the saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely'? When you are a military man in power, you have absolute possession of power. Fela was personally insulting the Head of State then; that is Obasanjo who might have been his classmate or schoolmate, whatever. Fela didn't see him as anything; but we saw him as our Head of State.
And when you start castigating the Head of State or something of that nature and he gave an excuse when he attacked a Military Policeman on duty and that was the excuse they were looking for to deal with him. There was a case that he did something wrong. But we did something worse. Then, how do we cover up? It was to set a panel to appease the public who were crying foul. But they didn't know that it was tailored.
Are you just realizing the wrong done to Fela or you realized vandalizing Fela's house would be wrong and you went ahead to do it?
As a military officer at that time, my inclination to believe my leaders was there. I did not see them as doing something wrong. That's why I was even prepared to go and execute the order given by Danjuma. And had Fela resisted, I could have shot him myself.
Really?
Of course! I didn't say I would shoot him. I could have shot him. If in the process, something happens to my soldiers? Okay, let me give you an example. His house fence was electrified. If the voltage was enough to kill any of my soldiers, that would make my head go turning. And that would spell doom for Fela and his people if I saw any of my soldiers lying down dead after a Military Policeman was beaten up by Fela and I suddenly find that he had no authority to electrify his fence. Anywhere there is fence electrification you must put up a notice that it is electrified. So, in the process if any of my soldiers touched that fence and they died or he died in the process; that was murder as far as I am concerned.
But nobody died. At least not a soldier was injured. So, how do you know there was no notice?
Normally, they don't do that. Only civilized people do that. Fela was not civilized. If he was civilized, he wouldn't take on somebody like Obasanjo at that time.
Why?
Obasanjo was a General; Head of State-a Military Head of State with all the powers in him. Who was Fela? If they had killed Fela, what would have happened?
You mean nothing would have happened?
What would have happened? What would have really happened? Do you know there were people killed innocently during the coup attempt? The Dimka coup that we didn't really take part in? What happened? There were some of these officers who really did not take part.
Is that so?
Of course. But they were shot.
Who shot them?
The orders were given. Common, you would have read that even within the Supreme Military Council there was uncertainty when Obasanjo cast the deciding vote on some of them. I'll give you an example like Colonel A.D.S Waya. Nobody was sure of his involvement. There was no proof of it. Like Colonel A.B Umar. Nobody was sure of his involvement. No definite certainty. Why is it that they didn't make the proceedings public? All these military, these are individuals that are Nigerians whether they were soldiers or not. If you really want to justify your actions, especially when you want to take somebody's life, what they should have done with all sincerity of purpose was to bring in, possibly, a Military Tribunal with a civilian judge as Judge-Advocate. That Judge-Advocate would guarantee that the rule of law is followed.
In any Military Court-Martial, there would always be a Judge-Advocate who is a qualified lawyer. Most of these people who try these coup plotters, possibly, none of them is a lawyer. None of them could be a lawyer. In fact, none of the Presidents of the court was a lawyer or anyone of the members was a lawyer. So, in such circumstances, you could still try people like that in the Military. But it is always mandatory that you have a Judge-Advocate who is a trained lawyer and who will guide you on points of law.
But I never had at that time any tribunal that had a Judge-Advocate. So, people did what they wanted or what they thought the authorities wanted. So, people were executed. You couldn't be very sure; otherwise, how many years have rolled by and these documents have not been de-classified. They should de-classified them and bring them for people to scrutinize so that they can decide whether their actions were right or wrong.
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